Bagapsh has strong lead in Abkhazian elections

SUKHUM (Itar-Tass) - According to preliminary reports, Abkhazia’s incumbent President Sergei Bagapsh has a strong lead in the first presidential elections since Abkhazia proclaimed its independence.

After the vote count Bagapsh is leading practically in all the constituencies, a source at the candidate’s election headquarters told Itar-Tass. He said that voters in one of the constituencies gave 1,200 votes for Bagapsh and 200 votes to the runner-up candidates. Even in his native village the candidate Zaur Ardzinba is just 22 votes ahead of Bagapsh.

Out of 1,113 voters at a polling station located in school No.10 in Sukhum, 683 voted for Bagapsh and 243 for his chief rival Raul Khadzhimba.

The Central Electoral Commission decided to announce the preliminary results of these elections by noon on December 13.

If no complaints and lawsuits follow, the commission’s head promised to sum up the official results in the next two days.